SADC Secondary Schools Essay Competition 2025 : education.gov.za
Organization : Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Competition Name : SADC Secondary Schools Essay Competition 2025
Applicable For : SADC Member States
Competition Deadline : 31 March 2025
Website : https://www.education.gov.za/Informationfor/Learners/SADCEssayCompetition.aspx
SADC Secondary Schools Essay Competition
SADC Secretariat has been coordinating the Secondary School Essay Competitions to encourage learners in the Region to understand the role of SADC and disseminate information on SADC in order to support the process of regional co-operation and integration.
Eligibility Criteria
** Applicants must reside in South Africa,
** Applicants must be currently attending secondary school,
** Essays must not be more than 2000 words but not less than 1000 (Arial 1.5 line spacing for typed essays),
** Submissions must be the unaided work of applicants,
** Submissions should be in English,
** The name of entrants should be the same as those that appear on the Identification Document (ID) or Passport, and
** Applicants must be willing and fit to travel.
Topic
The topic for the 2025 SADC Secondary School Essay Competition is “How has SADC contributed to peace and security of the region in the last 40 years and how can SADC consolidate peace going forward?”
Instructions
** The essay should not be shorter than 1000 words and not longer than 2000 words. The deadline for submission of entries to the Department of Basic Education is 31 March 2025.
** Where entrants have access to computers it is advised that they type their entries and submit both soft in PDF format and hard copies. They may sign and initial the hard copies to make sure that they have not been altered.
Those submitting hard-written scripts, should ensure that their entries are visible and should not scribe on both sides of the sheet.
Marking Guidelines
The set of questions below are meant to guide entrants when responding to the question above. Secondary school learners should ensure that they address the questions listed below in their essays
1. Discuss some of the key objectives for the formation of SADC and the instruments that were put in place to achieve the set objectives and mandate (250 words, 20 points)
2. The apartheid system in South Africa had many negative effects for the SADC region. Explain how the system posed as a threat to peace and security in the region and how the region worked collectively to end the system (250 words, 20 points)
3. One of the major aims of SADC is to build peace, stability and security. According to your understanding discuss what you think is the best approach to mitigating internal and external conflicts and highlight through examples on how SADC has over the years successfully worked as a collective to ensure peace, stability and security. (250 words, 30 points)
4. Discuss in general the threats to peace, security and stability which the SADC region is facing now and how the region can address these threats in order to maintain peace and stability in the years ahead, using contemporary approaches to conflict, violence, security, peace and development. (250 words, 30 points).
Prizes
The three selected essays from each Province will be forwarded to the Department of Basic Education and the three national winning essays will be submitted to the SADC Secretariat.
The SADC Secretariat has allocated a sum of US $ 1000 as prize money for the national winners of the competition in each Member State.
The prize money will be divided as follows :
** US $ 500 for the first prize
** US $ 300 for the second prize
** US $ 200 for the third prize
Each candidate will receive the equivalent of the prize money in South African Rands. The three national winning essays will be forwarded to the SADC Secretariat for consideration in the regional competition.
Last Date
Learners should forward their essays to a coordinator in their Province by 15 March 2025.